Monday, November 21, 2011

Black Friday Nintendo 3DS Bundles

If you’ve been interested in buying the Nintendo 3DS, but you just haven’t been able to justify spending the money on the hand held console, as well as games, then Nintendo’s Black Friday deal might just help you justify the purchase. Nintendo just announced that they will be offering two different 3DS bundles this holiday season.

One of the bundles includes a bright red 3DS, as well as Super Mario 3D Land, which was Mario’s first full appearance in a 3DS game. The other bundle is themed around The Legend of Zelda. It features a limited edition black 3DS with a “Hyrule emblem and gold-colored embellishments.” The bundle also includes The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.

The Zelda bundle has already been introduced in Europe. Kotaku said that in the United States, the bundle will be sold at GameStop and Best Buy. They did not mention where the 3D Land bundle will be sold, but I would guess that it would be available at vendors like GameStop and Best Buy as well.

Both of the bundles will begin selling on Thanksgiving Day (November 24) and will cost $199.

Nintendo made sure to mention that it will have special setups in malls across the nation between Thanksgiving and December 18. These stations will allow potential customers to try out the two games featured in the bundles. They will also display "all the best video games for the holidays."

The Nintendo 3DS was a huge disappointment for Nintendo when it was released. It was hyped up like crazy, but the sales have not been anything to talk about. In October Nintendo reported that the company has lost close to a billion dollars in the past six months. Between the months of March and September Nintendo only sold 3 million units, much less than the company had originally projected.

Back in August Nintendo dropped the price of the 3DS from $249 to $169. Since this price drop, Nintendo’s sales numbers have been a little better but certainly still not on track. However, this new bundle could help the company boost its numbers for the device at least somewhat. Will Greenwald, a PCMag analyst, believes that the 3DS bundles really could help Nintendo get back on track with the device.

"In the gaming field, Nintendo offers the best buys for holiday gifts," he wrote. "That simply can't be disputed."

If you are interested in getting an even better deal on the bundle, Best Buy is offering both of the 3DS bundles for $179 on Black Friday. If you feel like dealing with the crowds, this could be a deal definitely worth taking advantage of.